Coding of facial expressions of pain in the laboratory mouse

Facial expression is widely used as a measure of pain in infants; whether nonhuman animals display such pain expressions has never been systematically assessed. We developed the mouse grimace scale (MGS), a standardized behavioral coding system with high accuracy and reliability; assays involving noxious stimuli of moderate duration are accompanied by facial expressions of pain. This measure of spontaneously emitted pain may provide insight into the subjective pain experience of mice.Paroxysmal Cerebral Disorder

A multi-criteria decision-making analysis for the selection of fibres aimed at reinforcing asphalt concrete mixtures

In the last few years, fibers have been proposed as one of the most important additives for the development of reinforced asphalt mixtures. The optimal fiber selection is a very complex task, as an extensive range of criteria and alternatives have to be taken into account. Decision support systems have been applied in the construction sector, but not for selecting fibers for bituminous mixtures. To fill this gap, two Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Analysis methodologies for the selection of the best fiber to be used in Asphalt Concretes are presented in this paper. The Weighted Aggregate Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) methodology and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) integrated with Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) are used to evaluate the effect of various types of fibers on the mechanical performance of bituminous mixtures. Given the uncertainty involved, a stochastic simulation is proposed using the Monte Carlo method. A statistical analysis is carried out to verify the results obtained. Both methods of multi-criteria analysis were effective, with TOPSIS being slightly more conservative in the assignment of performance scores. Synthetic fibers proved to be a suitable option as did fibers with high tensile strength and elastic modulus